Authorities issue warning on immigration scams involving ‘notarios’

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials joined together Thursday to offer a warning to immigrants: The wrong help can hurt.

The officials -- including representatives from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Federal Trade Commission, the Nevada attorney general's office and the Metropolitan Police Department -- met at Las Vegas City Hall to talk about the dangers of what they say is a growing problem: immigration scams.

"We've heard from organizations and communities all around the state about how dishonest people repeatedly seek to rip off immigrants and steal their money," said John Kramar , district director for CIS. "This kind of fraud hurts vulnerable members of our community as well as challenges our nation's system of lawful immigration."

Such fraud often is perpetrated by people advertising as "notarios." In many Spanish-speaking countries, a "notario" -- or notary -- is a highly trained, licensed legal practitioner. But in the United States, "notarios" aren't licensed to give legal advice or immigration services.

Other times, licensed attorneys overpromise what they can deliver to immigrants.

"It really does come home to roost when you see the victims of these scams whose lives are devastated," said Dave Clark, bar counsel for the State Bar of Nevada.

Such victims sometimes wind up in deportation proceedings, losing "all their money, and their families are ripped apart," he said.

Local immigration attorney Rex Velasquez said while the victims "are of course the people who went to notarios," they also include the families and "the U.S. citizen children."

By the time law enforcement gets involved, it's often too late for them, he said.

Perpetrators sometimes charge for services and resources that CIS offers for free or claim they can help someone gain legal status more quickly.

The local effort to target such fraud is part of a nationwide, city-by-city initiative launched earlier this year. The first cities targeted were Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, San Antonio and Fresno, Calif.

The initiative focuses on collaboration between agencies, educating the public about immigration scams and encouraging people to report scams.

Officials said immigrants interested in finding free or low-cost legal services should visit www.uscis.gov/avoidscams or call CIS at 1-800-375-5283.

To report an immigration scam, notify the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint or at 1-877-382-4357.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com.